PORTUGAL TRAVEL TEAM

Portugal Travel Team was founded in 1996 by Eduarda Neves, who used her experience in the Industry to develop a DMC focused on the highest standards of service provided by a Team dedicated to the achievement of total satisfaction of the client. A great Team spirit is one of the most important company assets, along with their combined experience, energy and commitment to quality. Our success reflects the recognition of our clients and suppliers over the years.

PORTUGAL TRAVEL TEAM

News from Portugal!

May 2017

Aimia Passion for Excellence Award

As a global leader in end-to-end design and delivery of meetings, conferences, incentives and events for some of the world’s most visible brands, Aimia collaborates with dependable partners for event execution for our clients. Each year for the past 26 years, Aimia has recognized exceptional event partners who stand out among their industry peers.
The top 18 partner organizations out of their 2650+ partners in 2016 who have proven a true Passion for Excellence were recognized and honored. We are thrilled to share the great news that our company is one of a select few to receive this award for an outstanding service in supporting their valued clients’ programs.
To be considered for this award, event partners need to exceed expectations in working with all Aimia teams on the following criteria: purchasing, planning, program delivery and creativity – all elements required for successful program executions. This recognition is being given to Portugal Travel Team for exceeding expectations in each of these areas and for being considered an exceptional partner in 2016!

A Renovated Carlos Lopes Pavilion

This beautiful building was built in Lisbon in 1929. It was named the “Palace of Exhibitions and Festivals,” but in 1946 was renamed “Sports Pavilion.”
When the Portuguese athlete Carlos Lopes won the Los Angeles Olympics marathon in 1984, setting a new Olympic record, the pavilion was renamed again, to “Carlos Lopes Pavilion.”
It closed in 2003, and after several years of neglect, it was renovated in 2015 to reopen in February of 2017.
The renovation of the entire building provided new singular conditions to host different kinds of cultural and sporting events, but respected the historical heritage by preserving the beautiful tile panels of the interior and on the façade while maintaining a permanent exhibition honoring the Olympic champion.
The tiles illustrate scenes from Portugal’s history, and the two large sculptures by the entrance represent Art and Science.
In March, Portugal Travel Team was honored to have held one of the first events at this location with 1100 people seated and filled with entertainment.

Pope Francis to visit Fatima in May

Pope Francisco's visit to Portugal in May will last no longer than 24 hours, but the agenda will be intense. The Pope will arrive on May 12, starting his commitments immediately until departure in the afternoon the next day.
He will then make a three-kilometer journey on the “papa mobile” to the Sanctuary of Fatima, where he will have the first contact with the people who will already be present in the religious space.
The evening of 12 May will be the highlight of Pope Francis's visit: he presides over the rosary and procession of the candles, but he does not stay for the evening mass. On May 13, the solemn mass is presided over by the Pope, which is the main reason for his visit. It is the second time that a Pope enters Portugal directly, without passing through Lisbon.
It is recalled that Pope Francisco comes to Portugal in May to preside over the celebrations of the centenary of the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherds. Among the expectations of the Portuguese Church for the visit were already possible developments in the process of canonization of the pastors Francis and Jacinta Marto, and in the process of beatification of Sister Lucy, which the Vatican has approved in the meantime.

Qatar Airways will fly to Lisbon in 2018

Qatar Airways has announced that it will start flying to Lisbon in 2018. The airline will now have flights to and from Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The president of the company, Akbar Al Baker, made the announcement during the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. The start date of the connection to Portugal has not yet been announced. The Lisbon Airport will thus have flights from two companies from the Middle East - Emirates and Qatar Airways.

TAP to start flying to Toronto in June

On the Day of Portugal, June 10th, the Portuguese airline TAP will start the new routes from Lisbon to Toronto and Stuttgart. The operation for the largest city in Canada will take place, with 5 flights a week. For the German city, there will be connections every day.
Flight TP259, with Toronto as the destination and operated with an A330-200 aircraft, departs from Lisbon on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Flight TP258 departs from Canada 10 minutes after midnight on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Lisbon and Porto prepare for the Summer Festivities

When we speak of “Santos Populares” (Popular Saints), we divide ourselves between Porto and Lisbon. June is the month of the Saints, and if Saint Anthony of Lisbon is celebrated on the 12th and 13th of June, with the Festivities of Lisbon, in Oporto, Saint John takes to the streets on the 23rd and 24th.

In Lisbon, the festivities include popular marches, representing each neighborhood of the city, and lots of partying and entertainment with an agenda full of spectacles for several days. The highlight is the Parade of Saint Anthony, on the night of June 12, at Avenida da Liberdade, in Lisbon.

Saint John of Porto is one of the biggest festivals in the country and happens in the afternoon and evening of June 23, and continues until the dawn of June 24, where there is a street party with dancing and lots of animation. Prepare to eat roasted sardines, smell basil, garlic and especially ... to hammer with deafening plastic hammers...